The Viking Code

By Vicente Cuenca

Like sunshine reflected on snow, the purpose of this small book of wisdom is an invitation to optimism, to self-confidence. “More men are good due to habits than due to nature,” says the Greek philosopher Critias. This book came to me from Denmark as an embryo of an idea that can be counted among didactic literature and self-help. Its voice is conciliatory, sincere, generous, and effective, with a camaraderie that the author uses to encourage young adults, for whom this book is intended, to trust in their abilities, to become a Kierkegaard or a Bjork, according to each one’s desire to choose the direction they want their lives to take. The Viking Code is more than a simple title. It is fitting because once the reader begins the journey through its pages, they find what Spanish writer Vicente Cuenca, who now lives in a Norse country, has found. He is “lucky to live in a Viking nation, in a culture that is based on work, honesty, integrity, and respect.”

Vicente Cuenca’s cultural, literary, human, social, and spiritual trajectory has been full of movement, changes, and constant, positive evolution. Vicente Cuenca has the advantage of experience and wisdom of vocational paternity, brought together with the daily practice of love and responsibility – love and discipline, in that order, as a moral educational norm. Thinking about the man and the writer, those who know him can’t help but to recall the Greek axiom “the person who reflects on themselves thinks upon what has brought them to be.” Vicente Cuenca knows how to take us (especially teenagers and young adults) to the central thought that will eventually bring us to success, even though many of our first attempts may leave us waiting, wanting, or even frustrated and disillusioned. The Viking Code is a book about “inner success” intended for a young audience that is forging its way in life, a life that is freely decided. All our lives, young and not so young, belong to us by the right of vocation, desire, and illusion.

We recall this beautiful phrase, expressed by the author, that references a friend and disciple: “This book is for Juan and all the teenagers that I have met in my life, who many people could only see in them the people they couldn’t be.” And so we walk into the brilliant, white forest, glowing with the sun shining on the snow within these pages.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BadPress
• Release date: Jun 4, 2020
• ISBN: 9781071550960

Book preview

The Viking Code

Vicente Cuenca

––––––––

Translated by Jennifer Yaeggy 

The Viking Code

Written By Vicente Cuenca

Copyright © 2020 Vicente Cuenca

All rights reserved

Distributed by Babelcube, Inc.

www.babelcube.com

Translated by Jennifer Yaeggy

Babelcube Books and Babelcube are trademarks of Babelcube Inc.

The Viking Code

Vicente Cuenca

[]

Contents

Prologue

Part 1

I

II

III

IV

V

VI

VII

VIII

IX

X

XI

Part 2

How to set goals and reach them

The Viking Shield

The Viking Sword of Faith

War Exercises

The Axe of Persistence

Failure

The Helm of Happiness

The Viking Chainmail of Indifference

The Viking Chest

Part 3

Law #1: Be positive and resilient

Law #2: Be constant and persevering

Law #3: Set goals

Law #4: Happiness is the key

Law #5: Take care of your clan

Law #6: Believe in yourself

Law #7: Be like water

Law #8: Live your life

Law #9: Never give up

Acknowledgements

Prologue

Like sunshine reflected on snow, the purpose of this small book of wisdom is an invitation to optimism, to self-confidence. More men are good due to habits than due to nature, says the Greek philosopher Critias. This book came to me from Denmark as an embryo of an idea that can be counted among didactic literature and self-help. Its voice is conciliatory, sincere, generous, and effective, with a camaraderie that the author uses to encourage young adults, for whom this book is intended, to trust in their abilities, to become a Kierkegaard or a Bjork, according to each one’s desire to choose the direction they want their lives to take. The Viking Code is more than a simple title. It is fitting because once the reader begins the journey through its pages, they find what Spanish writer Vicente Cuenca, who now lives in a Norse country, has found. He is lucky to live in a Viking nation, in a culture that is based on work, honesty, integrity, and respect.

Vicente Cuenca’s cultural, literary, human, social, and spiritual trajectory has been full of movement, changes, and constant, positive evolution. Vicente Cuenca has the advantage of experience and wisdom of vocational paternity, brought together with the daily practice of love and responsibility – love and discipline, in that order, as a moral educational norm. Thinking about the man and the writer, those who know him can’t help but to recall the Greek axiom the person who reflects on themselves thinks upon what has brought them to be. Vicente Cuenca knows how to take us (especially teenagers and young adults) to the central thought that will eventually bring us to success, even though many of our first attempts may leave us waiting, wanting, or even frustrated and disillusioned. The Viking Code is a book about inner success intended for a young audience that is forging its way in life, a life that is freely decided. All our lives, young and not so young, belong to us by the right of vocation, desire, and illusion.

We recall this beautiful phrase, expressed by the author, that references a friend and disciple: This book is for Juan and all the teenagers that I have met in my life, who many people could only see in them the people they couldn’t be. And so we walk into the brilliant, white forest, glowing with the sun shining on the snow within these pages.

Soren Peñalver, writer and literary critic.

[]

Part 1

The Viking Code

I

Life isn’t fair. Get used to it.

Esteemed Viking warrior, life is sometimes unfair. You work hard to get something just to see the typical idiot, stuck up and mean, good-for-nothing, unexperienced, and unpresentable, move past you because they know how to play the game. And though this doesn’t sound ethical at all, that’s the way it is, and you can’t change it.

Like the song says, if your girlfriend leaves you, you’re screwed. In both cases, you get upset and try to deal with it in the best way possible, until, suddenly, you realize that your attitude can change everything.

I remember once, in high school, a classmate and I presented a group project that only I had worked on. He hadn’t done anything, and only read the material I had prepared. To top things off, he got the highest score possible while I barely passed. Why? Because I didn’t agree with my teacher’s ideas, while he said yes to everything she said. You’ll have to live with this kind of injustice every single day of your life.

As I’ve said before, you can’t control these situations, but you can control how you react to them. You can get mad, scream, throw a tantrum, or you can keep working hard and strive to be better for the next time around. With time, everything comes to light and there are hidden blessings in being frustrated.

On other occasions you might not get what you want, but you get something different from what you had planned that then later leads you to your goals. Maybe life will make you walk down a different path, but it ultimately leads us to attain what we wanted in the first place. The universe may take something away, but it will give you something else, and by a seeming fluke of destiny, you can finally reach your dreams.

Your parents surely have to deal with worse people in their jobs. The sooner you realize this and learn how to react, the sooner you’ll be able to get over anything unfair that may happen to you. If you’re not willing to do this, then I suggest you close this book and keep crying. However, if you decide to continue, it’s because you want to fight for your dreams, strive to make them come true, and change your life.

Are you a lion or a sheep? Lions eat sheep for breakfast. That said, it’s your prerogative if you want to be a sheep. The choice is yours, but if you decide to become a member of the Viking nation, it’s because you are willing to fight like a brave warrior, without backing down.

Keep reading.

No matter what happens, you need to move on from any situation and fight for your dreams. In order to do this, you need to turn your weaknesses into strengths. Can you imagine a Viking warrior crying? Obviously not, so let’s be XXI century Vikings who lick their wounds but remain firm in battle.

You need to